Attachment for sewing machines



June l3, 1933.

P. GARDNER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

@rcy 50/097.

Jun 13, 1933. P. GARDNER v 1,913,878

ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed May 20, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UAVAVAVI m v v v v AVAVAVAV I N V EN TOR. Percy 60mm! Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PERCY GARDNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y; ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO LEVER BIAS MACHINE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ATTACHMENT FOR- SEWINGMACHINES Application filed May 20,

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in seam opening devices and has especial reference to mechanisms used in conjunction with sewing machines for separating the margin of the fabrics along the stitched seam and folding such margin back and onto the main fabric adjacent the line of stitching.

An object is to provide a mechanism which efiiciently performs the function at the high rate of machine operation and comprises fewer parts, is more economical to manufacture and install, and requires less alteration of the arrangement and construction of the parts of the ordinary sewing machine.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from a consideration of the specification hereinafter taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and which illustrate a present preferred form of the invention.

Briefly and generally considered the invention includes the ordinary fabric feeding and stitching mechanism combined with a pressure foot for feeding the margin of the fabric through the machine. A margin spacing element preferably in the form of a thin Wire is disposed along the line of the fabric and outside of the line of stitches to hold the margins thereof slightly open. In conjunction with this spacing wire there is disposed a margin turning cam located along the fabric beyond the stitching point and adapted to i turn the respective margins of the fabric in opposite directions. Just beyond this cam the turned margins of the fabric are passed under the end of the pressure foot in order to be given an initial pressing or fold, after" which they are drawn through pressure rollers to give them a final folding and pressing operation and also to exert sufficient pull on the fabric to keep the fabric in the desired condition of tension.

The spacing wire is mounted on plates or brackets disposed on opposite sides of the stitching point in the line of turning move ment of the fabric and the pressure foot is cut away at a point adjacent the cam element to permit the disposition of the cam element 1931. Serial No. 538,659..

able guiding means for the fabric and a cutting device to cut off the fabric outside the line of stitches along a predetermined line.

The line of stitches as it is formed passes along a line disposed between the closely adjacent edges of the pressure foot and the spacing wire above mentioned. The spacing wire being disposed on the outside of the line of stitches, closely adjacent thereto, but between the layers of fabric and the pressure foot being disposed on the inside of the line of stitches closely adjacent thereto and on top of both layers of fabric. This spacing ele ment and the pressure foot constitute a unit adapted to guide and hold the fabric in proper position as it is fed forward until the margins thereof meet with and engage the turning cams after which not only the main edge of the fabric, but the turned margins pass under the pressure foot to be given the initial folding pressure above-mentioned.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of the apparatus particularly that part adjacent the stitching point;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the pressure rollers and their driving connection;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section showing the manner in which the spacing element or wire is gripped at either end and is preferably taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 to 10, inclusive, are cross-sections taken on these respective lines in Fig. 3

taken v showing the relation and disposition of the Fig. 12 shows how the seam looks after it has been opened up and pressed out.

In the manufacture of materials cut on the bias for making bias bindings and the like it is somewhat customary to take flat material and fold it over and stitch the free ends together to form a tube which can then be adapted for use with tubular spiral cutting machines to cut the material on the bias, and in developing this material into bias cut material it is essential that the seams of the tube thus formed be opened up and flattened out as much as possible so as not to disturb the appearance and uniform thickness of the fabric any more than necessary.

As shown in the drawings the invention is applied to a sewing machine having a base plate 10, a pressure foot arm 11, a needle arm 12 supporting a needle 13. The pressure foot 14 at its forward end is cut away and formed with a notch indicated at 15 having a purpose hereinafter described. The rear end 16 of the pressure foot 14 is turned up to permit the ready passage of the layers of fabric there-beneath. As is customary the pressure foot is also slightly cut-away to permit free operation of the needle. Closely adjacent one edge of the pressure foot and on the opposite side of the needle there is disposed a spacing element 17 which is preferably in the form of a wire such as piano wire spaced parallel to the adjacent edge of the pressure foot and slightly above the base-plate of the machine. The rear end of this wire is clamped to a bracket plate 18 by means of a set screw 19. This bracket plate is fastened to the base-plate 10 by means of screws 20 operating in a slot 21. The forward end 22 of this bracket 18 is raised slightly from the base plate 10 and the piano wire or spacing element is pulled tightly into a groove in the lateral face thereof to bring it into perfect alignment. The other end of the piano wire or spacing element is fastened by a set screw 23 to a bracket plate 24 fastened by screws 25 to the base plate 10. These screws 25 operate in slots 26 on the bracket 24. The rear end of the bracket plate 24 is formed as a seam opening and turning cam having a curved body 27 as shown in Fig. 8 to open the fabric margins and along another section shown in Fig. 9 is a margin-turning cam surface 28. The piano wire or spacing element 17 is disposed along the edge of the cam at the very begin ning and then becomes buried in the body thereof. as the function of handling the margins is taken over by this cam as the fabric progresses through the machine.

It will be noticed that the forward end of the pressure foot as shown at 29 is laterally diverted so that it will extend across the line of stitching. The reason for this is clearly indicated in Fig. 10 which shows this lateral extension 29 of the pressure foot acting to reraevs press the turned and folded margins between itself and the base plate 10. In other words the pressure foot not only presses on both layers of the main fabric up to the point where the margins are turned, but after the margins are turned. These turned margins are passed beneath this lateral extension whereby the pressure foot gives the turned margins a preliminary pressing before they are passed to the main regular pressing rollers.

To the rear of the bracket 18 there is disposed a fabric guide plate 30 connected to a bracket 31 fastened to the base plate 10 by screws 32. In Fig. 1 the disposition and course of the fabric is shown by dot-and-dash lines.

In front of the base plate 10 there is mounted a standard 33 having upright pedestals 34 and 35 acting as journals for two substantially parallel shafts 36 and 37. On the outer ends of these shafts are disposed pressing rollers 38 and 39 and on the other ends of these shafts are disposed intermeshing gears 40 and 41. as 36 is connected to a pulley 42 driven by a suitable belt 43 from the main drive pulley 44 of the sewing machine. The springs 45 and 46 housed in the pedestals 34 and 35 press on the shaft 37 through elements 47 and 48 to hold the shaft in cooperative relation to the shaft 36 and tends to press the roller 39 firmly against the roller 38, but allowing certain relative vertical movement as the fabric passes therebetween. The belt drive described permits the rollers 38 and 39 to be driven at any desired speed but will permit slippage of the belt. The drive is so related with the linear speed of the fabric that the pull of the rollers 38 and 39 will tend to pull the fabric slightly faster through the machine than the linear feed speed of the ordinary feed mechanism. This slight draft will create and maintain sufficient tension of the fabric to keep it smooth and taut so that the opening and folding is accomplished at high speed and efiiciently and the fabric is not apt to become jammed in the machine.

Extending from a point in front of the end of the pressure foot and whence issues the folded edges of the material there is an upwardly extending guide plate 49 leading the edges of the fabric up to and between the edges of the rollers 38 and 39. The cover plate 50 is suitably mounted on the machine to cover the rollers of the fabric.

Adjacent the spacing wire 17 and opposite the pressure foot 14 is disposed a cutting knife 51 pivotally mounted on a shaft 52 driven in any suitable manner from the drive mechanism of the machine. This cutting knife oscilliates to continuously cut the outer edges of the margins so as to create a uniform width of margin outside the line of stitching.

One of these shafts such lie each other.

- body portions.

' taut and to give Operation As shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 1, the fabric is folded so that its free edges over- The edges of these margins are lined up with the inner face of the guide plate 30 and fed forward in the usual manner through the machine. As shown in Fig. 5, the upper margin lies on top of the guide plate 22 and the lower margin lies below said plate. In Fig. 5 it will be seen that the spacing wire 17 is disposed in a groove along the edge of this plate. As shown in Fig. 6, a section taken beyond the plate 22, the line of stitching is commenced and the spacing wire 17 is the only element holding the margins apart closely adjacent the stitched line. As shown in Fig. 7, the outer edges of the margins are cut off by the knife 51. As shown in Fig. 8 the margins next encounter the opening cam surfaces 27 of the cam device. All this time the main body of the fabric has been disposed and pressed on by the pressure foot 14, as shown in Fig. 8. This pressure foot lies on top of both layers of fabric. In the next operation the turning cam surface 28 engages the margins and turns them back as shown in Fig. 9 so that they commence to lie against their respective main The turning of these margins takes place of course, along the stitching line of each side thereof. The next operation requires the turned margins on the edges of the fabric to pass under the lateral extension 29 of the pressure foot which is disposed be in line with these turned portions. Th1s action is shown in Fig. 10 which illustrates how these turned margins are given a preliminary pressing. Just back of this lateral extension 29 as shown in Fig. 1, lies the turning cam in a line with the stitching. In order to permit the disposition of the turning cam in this line back of the lateral extension of the pressure foot, the pressure foot 14 has been cut away to form a notch or ofiset portlon 15 previously mentioned.

In Fig. 11 it is shown how the turned margins are next passed through rollers 38 and 3 9 to be given the desired pull to keep the fabric the turned portions the final pressing. This final pressing opens and presses out the seam so that when the tube 15 opened for further use, the seam and the folded margins have the appearance shown in Fig.

It will thus be seen that four simple elements cooperatively disposed constitute this simple, compact and efficient invention and that their relation and disposition on the machine requires a minimum alteration of the machine itself. These elements are (1) The plate 18 with its forward guiding portion 22; (2) The plate 24 with its rearly mounted turning cam; (3) A spacing element or piano wire 17 mounted on and extending between said plates; and (4) The elongated" pressure foot 14 which acts not only as a' pressure foot and guide for the main fabricbut as a lateral forward extension lying'in. the path of the turned seams to give them an initial'pressing. It will be noted that in this invention the pressure foot lies above and on top of both layers of fabric andthat the spacing element or piano wire 17 is disposed between the free edges or margins of the fabric up until thepoint is reached where} these margins are turned by the cam. The operator merely has to take the fabric and; fold it to bring the free edges together one on top of the other, introduce thelower' port-ion beneath the plate 22 and the upper portion above the plate 22 whereupon by feeding the material forward to the needle the material is thereafter fed forward as high rate of speed automatically. Nothing is required of the operator than to see that the subsequent edges are lined up and may 'duced into the machine in proper relationfto the guide plate 30. Machines of this gen ral? character operate at speeds as high asaoooor 4,000 B. P. M. and will feed as high "as 25 feet of fabric through the machine, minute. 7 p While the invention has been 'described in detail and with respect to a present preferred form thereof it is not to be limited tosuch details and forms since-many changes and modifications may be made in the invention" without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language or scope'l-of any one or more of the appended claims. f What is claimed, is: 1. In a seam opening device forsewing machines, the combination of means for stitching material, means for feeding the terial forward, means beyond the stitching means for turning over the free edges of the material outside the line of stitching and: a pressure foot bearing on the material and having a portion disposed across the line of stitching beyond said turning means to press" the turned margins. 2. In a seam opening device for fabrics having free margin portions beyond the line of-stitching, means disposedin the path'of movement of the fabric after it is stitched to turn over these free margins and a pressure foot having a portion extending across the line of stitching beyond the turning means to give the turned margin portions an initial pressing. 3. In a seam opening device for sewing machines having a pressure foot, a fabricfeeding means, and a needle operatingmeans'; the combination of an elongated finger dis-- posed adjacent the line of stitching to lie between the free edges of the material outside iio lit)

means for stitching said fabric,

the line of stitching and separate the edges, and a turning cam connected to said finger beyond the needle to turn said free edges, said pressure foot having a portion extending laterally across the line of stitching beyond said turning means to give the turned margins or edges an initial pressing.

Al. lln a-seam opening device for sewing .machines, the combination of means for feeding fabric forward through said machine,

a wire supported above the bed-plate of said machine along and outside the line of stitching and between the free edges of the fabric, a turning cam disposed at the front end of said wire, a pressure foot disposed on top of'said fabric along the opposite side of the line of stitching, a laterally extending forward end of said pressure foot extending across the line of stitching to press on the turned margins.

5. In a seam opening device for sewing machines, the combination of means for feeding fabric forward through said machine,

means for stitching said fabric, a wire sup ported above the bed-plate of said machine along and outside the line of stitching and between the free edges of the fabric, a turning cam disposed at the front end of said wire,

a pressure foot disposed on top of said fabric along the opposite side of the line of stitching, a laterally extending forward end of saidvpressure foot extending across the line of stitching to press on the turned margins,

said pressure foot having a portion cut-away to permit of the disposition therein of the turning cam. 7

ti. lln a seam opening device for sewing machines, having means for feeding material forward through the machine, means for stitching said material, a pressure foot extending along the inside of the line of stitching and bearing on the layers of material, a

laterally extending forward portion of said pressure foot extending across the line of stitching, a turning cam disposed to the rear of said laterally extending portion to turn the free edges thereof and pass them in said laterally extending portion to be pressed, and a spacing wire extending rearwardly from the turning cam and lying between the free edges of the material.

'17. In a seam opening device-for sewing machines, the' combinationof means for stitching material, means for feedin the material forward, means he 0nd the stitching means for turning over the free edges of the material outside the line of stitching and a pressure foot bearing on the material and having a portion disposed across the line of stitching beyond said turning means to press the turned margins, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot to receive the turned edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

8. In a seam opening device for fabrics having free margin portions beyond the line of stitching, means disposed in the path of movement of the fabric after it is stitched to turn over these free margins and a pressure foot having a portion extending across the line of stitching beyond the turning means to give the turned margin portions an initial pressing, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot to receive the turned edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

9. ln a seam opening device for sewing machines having a pressure foot, a fabric feeding means, and a needle operating means, the combination of an elongated finger disposed adjacent the line of stitching to lie between the free edges of the material outside the line of stitching and separate the edges, and a turning cam connected to said finger beyond the needle to turn said free edges, said pressure foot having a portion ex= tending laterally across the line of stitching beyond said turning means to give the turned margins or edges an initial pressing, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot to receive the turned edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

10. In a seam opening device for sewing machines, the combination of means for feeding fabric forward through said machine, means for stitching said fabric, a wire supported above the bed-plate of said machine along and outside the line of stitching and between the free edges of the fabric, a turn= ing cam disposed at the front end of said wire, a pressure foot disposed on top of said fabric along the opposite side of the line of stitching, a laterally extending forward end of said pressure foot extending across the line of stitching to press on the turned margins, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot to receive the turned edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

11. In a seam o cning device for sewing machines, the combination of means for feeding, fabric forward through said machine, means for stitching said fabric, a wire sup ported above the bed-plate of said machine along and outside the line of stitching and between the free edges of the fabric, a tin-in ing cam disposed at the front end of said wire, a ressure foot disposed on top of said fabric a ong the o posit-e side of the line of stitching, a lateral y extending forward end stitching said material, a pressure a point prior to the of said pressure foot extending across the line of stitching to press on the turned margins, said pressure foot having a portion cutaway to permit of the disposition therein of the turning cam, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot to receive the turned edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

12. In a seam opening device for sewing machines, having means for feeding material forward through the machine, means for foot extending along the inside of the line of stitching and bearing on the layers of material, a laterally extending forward portion of said pressure foot extending across the line of stitching, a turning cam disposed to the rear of said laterally extending portion to turn the free edges of the material and pass them under saidlaterally extending portion to be pressed, and a spacing wire extending. rear- Wardly from the turning cam and lying between the free edges of the material, pressure roller means disposed beyond the front end of the pressure foot edges of the fabric and give them the final pressing, and means for driving at least one of said rollers from the driving mechanism of the machine.

13. In a seam opening device for fabrics having free margin portions outside the line of stitching, the fabric outside the line, of stitches to turn over said margins, means disposed between the margins outside the line of stitches to lead the material to said-turning means, and pressing means disposed on the inside of the line of stitches and on top of both layers of material, said pressing means extending from a point in the path of movement of the material prior to its being stitched to a point in the path of movement of the material subsequent to the turning of the margins.

14. In a seam opening device means, for stitching the material adj acent'the free edges thereof, and means for turning the free margins of the material after it is stitched, means disposed between the free margins to lead them to the turning means disposed on top of the material inside the line of stitches said pressure means extending at least from the stitching point to the turning point. 1

15. In a seam opening device for fabrics, means for stitching fabric adjacent the free edges thereof, means disposed between the free edges outside the line of stitching to keep them separated, and pressure means disposed on the top of the material inside the line of stitches, means for turning the free edges, said pressure means extending from stitching to a point subto receive the turnedmeans disposed in the path of sequent to the turning of the margins thereof.

Signed at New York city in the county of New Y( rk and State of New York this 14th day of May, D. 1931.

PERCY GARDNER.

means, and pressure 

